Costa Concordia: Captain vowed to stay on the ship

The captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship promises that he will be the
last one to leave the stricken vessel, new audio recordings with the Italian
coast guard reveal.

1:31PM GMT 22 Jan 2012

Capt Francesco Schettino, who has been dubbed "Captain Coward" for allegedly abandoning his giant 14-deck ship ahead of hundreds of passengers and crew, was asked on the night of the tragedy how many people were still on board.

Prosecutors are likely to use the tape to back up their contention that Capt Schettino lied to port authorities on the night of the disaster, January 13, and that he abandoned his post in contravention of the naval code.